John Joseph probably should have died a long time ago. Born into an abusive family, he lived听on the streets as a teenager, eventually falling into drug addiction听and doing time听in prison听in the 1970s. Things were going south for the front man听of the punk band听. After relapsing in 1988, Joseph听took听a two-year break from the band and听started cycling.听鈥淧eople talk about rock bottom, but I was under the rock,鈥 Joseph says. 鈥淚 started working as a bike messenger 鈥檆ause that was the only job I could get. I was good at it,听I could ride all day.听Then I started doing pack rides with other messengers at night and听taking long-ass rides out to the Hamptons to swim in the ocean.鈥听He听got听sober in 1990 and soon听returned to the Cro-Mags.
Now听the 57-year-old New York City native is an Ironman finisher听and the author of three books, including an autobiography and a听self-help guide. Not only has he been sober for 29 years, he鈥檚 also听arguably the healthiest person in the room. 鈥淭he whole sex, drugs, and rock 鈥檔鈥 roll thing is bullshit,鈥 Joseph says from his home, fresh off a tour in Europe. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a fantasy life. It鈥檚 not sustainable.鈥
Juggling an intense Ironman training routine and a jet-setting听job has given Joseph听the stamina he needs听to听perform in high-energy punk-rock shows. A typical Cro-Mags performance听is exhausting: screaming fast-paced听lyrics over听guitar and drums, stage diving, mosh pits. But Joseph鈥檚 life on the road sounds more like the regimented routine of a professional athlete. After each show, he retreats to his hotel room for an Epsom-salt bath, some foam rolling, and a dose听of CBD oil. He sleeps for five hours, then wakes early for a听run, typically 10 to 15 miles. 鈥淚 have to train when I travel, because when you鈥檙e competing in Ironman, you can鈥檛 just take a month off when you鈥檙e building up to a race,鈥 Joseph says. 鈥淵ou have to stay at it.鈥
Joseph tells me that his plant-based diet is key to this healthy lifestyle and has helped him reconcile听his traumatic past. In 1980,听H.R., the lead singer of the seminal punk band Bad Brains,听convinced him听to give up eating meat. 鈥淪ince the moment of conception, I鈥檝e been in a violent world, and I had a lot of anger from it,鈥 Joseph听says. 鈥淎s soon as I eliminated meat, something clicked. This huge weight was lifted off of me. This violent nature that I had was gone. The diet was the first step. That鈥檚 when I started caring about what was going into my body.鈥 Since then, Joseph has followed a strict听plant-based diet for 39 years, even writing听a听how-to on the subject听in 2014.
While Joseph is happy to discuss the environmental and moral implications of a meat-based diet (catch for a primer), he鈥檚 just as passionate about optimizing plant-based diets for athletic performance. He didn鈥檛 start competing in Ironman-distance triathlons until he was 50, when a friend scored him an entry into the New York City听Ironman.听Even though听Joseph says his training was off听for that first race,听he was hooked. 鈥淚 was crying as I crossed the finish line, thinking about all the people in my life who said I wouldn鈥檛 amount to anything,鈥 Joseph says. 鈥淚t was an emotional experience. Doing an Ironman reveals your true character.鈥 Since then, Joseph has knocked out ten听more Ironman-distance races, including two .听
鈥淚 was crying as I crossed the finish line, thinking about all the people in my life who said I wouldn鈥檛 amount to anything.鈥
A typical day for Joseph starts with fresh juice: usually a mix of pineapple, turmeric, ginger, and spinach, which he says helps fight inflammation. He follows this with a breakfast of acai berries topped with听almond butter. After breakfast听he鈥檒l tackle a brick workout,听which includes a lengthy bike ride followed by a long run. On the bike, he鈥檒l eat Clif Bloks听and plant-based raw听bars, followed by watermelon,听water with amino acids, and a banana听before he runs. His postworkout drink of choice is fresh beet juice, which he says helps increase the oxygen in his blood. Dinner is a bowl of brown rice, beans, avocado, broccoli, and a tahini sauce.听
Joseph says he鈥檚 seeing more athletes in the Ironman community switch to a plant-based diet, and he鈥檚听on a mission to help others听understand that this approach can fuel serious athletes.听Joseph听hosts his own YouTube听cooking show, ,听which听has听him cooking vegan meals with special guests, whipping up classics like lasagna and听pasta Alfredo听with fresh, organic ingredients. 鈥淵ou give me one day, I鈥檒l feed you three meals, and you tell me how good it tastes and how good you feel after you eat it,鈥 Joseph says. 鈥淵ou鈥檒l get energized by the food. Every single nutrient can be obtained from a whole-food, plant-based diet. And it gives you the fiber you can鈥檛 get from those meat-based diets.鈥 (While ditching meat is certainly working for Joseph,听there鈥檚 an about the merits of a plant-based diet for athletes.)
He鈥檚 training for the Ironman Cozumel in Mexico in November and is working on a cookbook that is scheduled for release in 2020. For Joseph, the diet feeds the racing, and the racing keeps him on a healthy path. 鈥淵ou have to stay very regulated and disciplined when you鈥檙e racing Ironman,鈥 Joseph says. 鈥淵our听eating has to be regulated. Your sleeping. Your training. Living that lifestyle keeps me focused. It keeps my mind engaged in positive things and keeps me around positive people.鈥